Well-packer.



WILLIAM WINDFIELD RHEA, OF BARTELSVILLE, OK-LAHOMA.

WELL-PACKER.

Application filed July 17, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM W. RHEA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bartelsville, in the county of Washington and Stateof Oklahoma, have invented a new and. Improved Well-Packer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to well packers of a type suitable for preventing the escape of gas from a deep well, and is adapted for use upon gas wells, oil wells, and deep e'arth borings generally.

More particularly stated, I seek to produce a well packer provided with means for effectively preventing the passage of gas through the-packer and parts adjacent thereto, and also having a maximum amount of mechanical strength for the purpose of res'isting vast pressures, such, for instance, as may be caused by water and oil accumulating within the well.

My invention further contemplates a packer which is of comparatively rigid construction and preferably made of metal throughout; and adapted to be used with a packing made largely, if not entirely, of resilient and flexible material, such'a's soft rubber.

It sometimes happens that in gas wells the working pressure of the gas (sometimes designated as the rock pressure of the gas) may drop to a comparatively low degree.

If, now, the well contains a considerable volume of oil or water, and the only packer used happens to be a so-called rubber packer, the pressure of the liquid may force the rubber downward and cause the packer to leak. This is exceedingly liable tohappen in instances where the rubber packer fromage has become rotten, or at least degenerated in strength. Again, pieces of rubber Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 40,415.

to undue strain dependent upon hydrostatic pressure.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a' part of this specifi= Patented June 2'7, 191.6.

cation, and in which like letters indicate like parts.

Figure 1 isa side elevation showing my improved metallic packer and parts immediately associated therewith, as used upon tubing, and as they appear when the packer is first let down and before it is rendered of tubing is lowered into its resting position, thus rendering the packer gas-tight; also shows the addition of a rubber packer; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4=4= of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Well casing is shown at 6 and has the general form of a cylinder. A pipe section 7 is provided at its upper end with an internally treaded portion 8, the latter engaging a reduced portion 10 of a sleeve 9, the reduced portion 10 being threaded externally at 11 for mating the adjacent threaded portion 8 of the-pipe section 7. The sleeve 9 at its upper end is provided with a massive portion 12, of large diameter, this portion being threaded internally. A bush ing 13 having a generally annular form is provided with a portion 14 of reduced diameter, which fits into the enlarged portion 12 of the sleeve 9. A hollow cone 15 is provided with a tubular portion 16, which extends downwardly through the opening 13 in the annular bushing 13. A am nut at 17 is threaded internally and fitted upon the lower end of the tubular portion 16. This jam nut has such diameter that it may move vertically within the sleeve 9, but it is unable to pass upwardly through the passage 13 of the bushing 13, as may be understood by contrasting Figs. 2 and 3. -The'cone 15 at its upper end is provided with an externally threaded portion 18 of reduced diameter. Above the cone 15 is a nipple 19, having at its lower end an enlarged portion 20, which is threaded internally and fitted upon the portion 18 of the cone. A section of well tubing is shown at 21, and is threaded at its lower end, which fits into the up per end of the nipple 19, the latter being threaded to receive it. In some instances I provide a rubber packer 22, of the usual or any desired construction, and mount the same upon the nipple 19, as indicated in Fig. 3. This packer fits tightly within the casing G, and its specific mechanism constitutesno part of the present invention. I provide a number of gripping sectors 23, 24, 25, each of-these sectors being or arcuate cross section and comprising an arcuate span of 120 degrees. The sectors 24 are in this instance of double the thickness of the sectors 23 and 25. The three sectors 23, when placed together as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, together constitute a fragmentary ring. Below this ring the three sectors 24 together constitute another ring, and below this ring a third ring is formed by the three sectors 25. The composite rings thus formed are separated by gaskets 26, 27 of soft lead or other equivalent material. Extending through the various sectors and the gaskets 26, 27 are guide bolts 28, and mounted upon the lower ends of the latter are nuts 29. The guide bolts extend vertically through slots 30, with which all of the gripping sectors are provided. The several gripping sectors are provided externally with gripping surfaces 31 of arcuate form, these surfaces being such as to readily engage against the inner wall of the casing 6.

The various sectors are adapted to have a little relative movement, such as may be permitted by the guide bolts within the slots 30, as may be understood by contrasting Figs. 4 and 5 Owing to this slight play between the sectors, slots 32 may be formed between them, as indicated in Fig. 5. The various gripping sectors are so arranged as to break joints, as indicated in Fig. 1; that is to say, the gripping sectors 23 and 25 are staggered relatively to the gripping sectors 24. A rivet 33 extends radially inward throughone of the gripping sectors 25, and also through the wall of the adjacent tubular portion 16 of the cone 15. This rivet at its point of connection with the tubular portion 16 is disposed some distance below the slanting portion of the cone 15, as indicated in Fig. 2. The purpose of the rivet is to hold the entire group of gripping sectors rigid relatively to the cone l5, and spaced slightly therefrom, as indicated in Fig. 2, until the conical parts here shown are let down into the well, so that the weight of the sleeve 19 and parts below it restupon the well bot-- tom. This done, and the cone 15 and parts above it moving a little farther downward, the rivet 33 is sheared off or broken, and the cone 15 is brought into direct engagement with the inner surfaces of all of the gripping sectors.

The gripping sectors, considered as a group, have collectively a form which may be described as externally cylindrical and internally conical. The internally conical surface appears at 24 in Fig. 2, and is adapted to fit gas-tight around the external surface of the cone 15 when this cone occupies its lowermost position, as indicated in Fig.

The operation of my device is as follows: The parts being assembled and arranged as indicated in Fig. 2 and being let down into the well, when the pipe section 7 engages the bottom of the well, the sleeve 19 is brought to a halt; then, by the further descent of the cone 15 and parts associated with it, the rivet 33 is sheared off or broken and the cone 15 is seated against the conical surface 24 of theentire group of gripping sectors. This causes the gripping sectors to move slightly apart from each other; or, in other words, the slots 32 to be widened; The outer gripping surfaces 31 of the grippingsectors are thus forced tightly against the adjacent inner surface of the well casing 6, and the packer is rendered gas-tight. If now, owing to an accumulation of water or oil within the well, a considerable hydrostatic head is developed, this pressure is effectively withstood by my improved packer above described. The rubber packer 22 may be used or not, as above described. If it is used, it serves merely as an auxiliary device for preventing the escape of gas. It is not subjected to any appreciable measure of hydrostatic pressure.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown, as variations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a well packer, the combination of. a plurality of superimposed ring-like members each formed of a plurality of gripping sectors made of metal and provided with gripping surfaces for engaging the inner surface of the well casing, said gripping sectors together having an internal surface which is approximately conical, and a hollow member having externally the form of a cone for engaging said conical surface and thus forming a tight joint.

2. In a well packer, the combination of a sleeve,'a bushing mounted thereupon, a hollow member extending through said bushing and into said sleeve, means carried by said hollow member for engaging said bushing and thus preventing the withdrawal of said. hollow member from said sleeve, an expansible composite packer of annular form encircling said hollow member, means for. temporarily holding said packer member in a predetermined position relatively to said hollow member and for disengaging, said packer member when said hollow member is allowed to extend to its llmlt within said sleeve, said hollow member and said packer member being provided with mating inclined surfaces to be engaged when said packer member is thus released, in order to expand the packer and form a tight joint.

3. The combination of a well casing, a packer of composite form mounted therein and made of metal, a composite tubular member engaging said packer and forming a tight joint therewith so that said packer is capable of withstanding hydrostatic pressure, and an auxiliary packer mounted upon said member of substantially tubular form for preventing the escape of gas around said member.

Il-. In a packer, the combination of a plurality of gripping sectors together having the approximate form of a ring, a plurality of other gripping sectors also having together the form of a ring, all of said sectors being provided with slots and so disposed that a sector of one ring breaks the joint between sectors of the other ring when the said slots of one ring are in registry with the slots of the other ring, and guide bolts extending through all of said slots.

5. In a packer, the combination of a plu- 6. The combination of a sleeve for resting upon the bottom of a. well, a bushing carried by said sleeve and disposed adjacent the top thereof, a hollow tubular composite member provided with a portion extending through said bushing and into said sleeve, a nut mounted upon said portion and located upon said sleeve for preventing the withdrawal of said. portion from said sleeve, and a packer member encircling said portion and made of composite sectors movable relatively to each other in order to enable said packer member to be expanded and brought into engagement with the inner surface of a well casing by the movement of said tubular member relatively to said sleeve and bushin In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' WILLIAM WINDFIELD RHEA.

Witnesses:

GEORGE H. Fox, C. H. CALDWELL. 

